I was first diagnosed with kidney disease in 2001, shortly after the birth of my second daughter. What doctors thought was pregnancy-related high blood pressure
turned out to be the start of kidney failure. For years, I tried to push forward, working full time and raising my girls, until my health declined sharply in 2010, and I went into a hypertensive crisis.
I started peritoneal dialysis in 2011, which allowed me to keep working for a time. But, when I eventually had to switch to hemodialysis, the treatment completely drained me. My work hours dropped from full time to part time, and eventually, I had to stop working altogether. Losing my income meant struggling to keep my private insurance. When I finally qualified for limited state assistance, I still had to pay for medications and equipment out of pocket.
Too many dialysis patients face these same hardships, especially when they’re pushed off private insurance too soon. That’s why I am glad Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., is co-sponsoring the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act. This bill would guarantee that new dialysis patients can keep their private insurance for the full 30-month transition period, giving them the stability they need for early stages of diagnosis.
Patients like me deserve the chance to focus on our health, not on how we will afford it.
Leah Wright, Wilmington, Delaware
